FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFriday, November 4, 2011CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS202-482-4883

U.S.
Secretary of Commerce John Bryson and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will
co-chair the 22nd session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on
Commerce and Trade (JCCT) with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan on November
20-21, in Chengdu, China. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will
also take part in the discussions to address key agricultural trade concerns.

“The
JCCT is an important opportunity to address and resolve key trade concerns with
China,” Bryson said. “Our goals are to help open markets to U.S. exports
that will improve the lives of the Chinese people, and to work to level the
playing field for American companies. Our year-long work on these and
other issues on the JCCT agenda will help spur economic growth here at home by
increasing exports to China, and help us meet our National Export Initiative
goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014.”

“The
JCCT is a key venue for ensuring that our bilateral trade relationship moves in
a positive direction to provide maximum benefits for American workers and
businesses,” Kirk said. “Through this year’s JCCT, we are pressing China
for concrete and measurable results on a number of significant issues including
China’s policies on intellectual property rights, investment and innovation, as
well as a range of sector-specific industrial policies.”

“Thanks
to the productivity of America's farmers, ranchers and producers, our trading
partners in China recognize the United States as a reliable supplier of the
highest-quality food and agricultural products," Vilsack said.
"Partnerships with a growing market like China are integral to the
strength of the U.S. economy in the decades ahead. Under the Obama administration, USDA has continued to expand markets for American goods abroad,
worked aggressively to break down barriers to trade, and assisted U.S.
businesses with the resources needed to reach consumers around the world.”

Established
in 1983, the JCCT is the main forum for addressing bilateral trade issues and
promoting commercial opportunities between the United States and China. The
JCCT holds plenary meetings on an annual basis, while a number of JCCT working
groups meet throughout the year in areas such as intellectual property rights,
agriculture, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, information technology,
tourism, environment and statistics.

Last
year’s JCCT was held in Washington, D.C., and during the meetings, China agreed,
among other issues, to improve intellectual property rights enforcement, to
revise its indigenous innovation policies and to accelerate its accession to
the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.

China
was the largest supplier of U.S. goods imports in 2010 and was the
third-largest market for U.S. exports in 2010 (after Canada and Mexico).
U.S. goods exports to China were $92 billion in 2010, up 468 percent since
2000. Trade in services with China (exports and imports) totaled $31
billion in 2010; services exports were $21 billion and services imports were
$10 billion.